ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) – AC Milan took advantage of two deflected goals to beat Zenit St Petersburg 3-2 in an entertaining Champions League Group C match on Wednesday.

The Russians champions fought back from two down to level before Milan scored the winner with 14 minutes remaining when a low Riccardo Montolivo shot hit Zenit defender Tomas Hubocan and slid into the near corner.

Zenit St. Petersburg's Roman Shirokov (R) fights for the ball with AC Milan's Ignazio Abate during their Champion's league Group C football match in St. Petersburg's Petrovsky Stadium October 3, 2012. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk

The Italians scored twice in the first quarter of an hour, with the home side in disarray. Urby Emanuelson put the visitors ahead with a 20-metre free kick that took a deflection, wrong-footing Zenit keeper Vyacheslav Malafeyev in the 13th minute.

Stephan El Shaarawy, who turns 20 this month, doubled the lead three minutes later after a mazy solo run through the Zenit defence, becoming the youngest player to score for Milan in Europe’s elite club competition.

Brazil striker Hulk, who joined Zenit from Porto for a club record 60 million euros ($77.41 million) before last month’s transfer deadline, pulled one back for the home side just before the break before setting up Roman Shirokov’s equaliser four minutes into the second half.

(Reporting By Gennady Fyodorov, editing by Ed Osmond)

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